NTSB Begins Atlanta PD Helicopter Crash Probe

By Staff Writer | November 5, 2012

Police

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has appointed Ralph Hicks as the investigator-in-charge of the probe into the crash of an Atlanta Police Department Hughes OH-6 on Saturday, Nov. 3. According to witnesses on the ground, the helicopter lost control and went down after clipping power lines during the search for a missing nine-year-old boy. “They saw the aircraft, they heard the aircraft, and then they saw a flash of light when it hit the pole, and then it crashed into the roadway," Hicks said. Two police officers died in the crash. The Army donated the Vietnam-War era OH-6 to Atlanta PD in 1996 to assist with security for the Summer Olympic Games. NTSB’s investigation team is expected to arrive in Atlanta on Monday and review maintenance records and the wreckage. Related: Safety News